A new fundraising entity has launched to bolster University of Wisconsin Oshkosh efforts to provide critical scholarship support for the institution’s more than 16,000 students.
Titan Alumni Foundation, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, is a separate and distinct legal entity led by an independent volunteer board of directors. The new Foundation obtained tax-exempt status late last month under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.
Alumnus Scott Barr ’86, of Appleton, serves as president of the new Foundation’s Board of Directors.
“Our goal with the Titan Alumni Foundation is to provide a solid, predictable vehicle for alumni and other friends of UW Oshkosh to make donations in support of the institution,” Barr said.
The Titan Alumni Foundation and UW Oshkosh have signed a memorandum of understanding, linking the two entities to raise much-needed financial support for the university, said UW Oshkosh Chancellor Andrew Leavitt said.
“I am personally moved and inspired by the selflessness and service the Titan Alumni Foundation leaders have exhibited to this university,” he said.
Lynn Kleman, UWO interim associate vice chancellor of development in the Office of Advancement, looks forward to partnering with the new organization to support UW Oshkosh students through philanthropy.
“We thank the members of the Titan Alumni Foundation board for their offer to affiliate with UW Oshkosh and partner with us in the area of fundraising,” she said. “Their commitment to the students, faculty and staff of UW Oshkosh is mission-driven and their enthusiasm for moving forward is contagious.”
Barr said that the decision to become involved in the new Foundation was deeply personal.
“Any success that I’ve had to date is in large part because of the time I spent at UW Oshkosh,” said Barr, a business practice attorney at McCarty Law LLP. “The university made an investment in me, and I owe something back.”
The Titan Alumni Foundation is committed to helping future generations of UW Oshkosh students succeed, he said.
“At UWO today, I see tomorrow’s nurses, teachers, police officers and business leaders … the people who will make our world run,” Barr said.
Besides managing and administering fundraising activities, the Office of Advancement strengthens alumni and community relationships to increase understanding and support of UW Oshkosh
Seventy-nine percent of UW Oshkosh students who apply for financial aid receive it, indicating their need for assistance in paying for college.
“We are excited about the future as we look forward to a great relationship with the Titan Alumni Foundation and much success moving ahead,” Kleman said.
Learn more: